HI all,I have this in my collection, I’m trying to ID it if possible. I also dn’t Know if the case back is removable or not, or if it’s just the battery hatch that comes off and the movement is supposed to be sealed in.

I assume where those little triangles are pointing is where you would use a case back knife to pry the back off, you might need a case press to get it back on though.

Thanks Richard, that’s a good tip, I’d not thought about where the arrows were pointing. I’ve tried to open it a few times but probably not from there and I was worried about damaging the case as the force I was using was going up with no success! I will have a go when I return home and have a look at the case under magnification to see if there are any tell tale hollows that look designed for a knife. Luckily I have a case press too.Will report back in the next few days.Phil

I don't know if you've found an answer to your question about this watch, as your last post looks like it was back in February, but, this is actually a Benrus, and the model is called the "Galaxy", the Benrus Galaxy, from about 1976. I've got the original advertisement for it somewhere on my computer, if you'd like to see it, and it says that this watch originally sold for $189.95 when new, which was a lot of money, waaaay back in the mid-70's!

Now, and as to opening the caseback, well, I've got about four or five of these watches in my collection, and whenever I've wanted to open one, I'd simply insert a large flathead screwdriver into that notch that's just below the battery hatch, and pry the lid off. As the edge of the caseback extends out over that notch, just enough to place the screwdriver there, I think that that might be the way that it was intended, to open one of these watches.

Ohh, but if you do decide to open it, be very careful when you go to press the caseback onto the watch case, making sure that you have a sufficiently large enough die on your watch press, so as not to put any undue pressure on the raised plastic red lens of the watch. If you have a really large, concave (sort of hollowed-out) die, that will go over/around the lens, without actually putting any pressure on the lens itself, I'd use that. I've gotten a couple of these watches before, that had cracked or split lenses, after someone had used a watch press die that was too small to fit over the raised red lens, and ended up breaking it..

Thanks Charles, that’s great info! I had thought that was the way to open her up but when I tried it was so seized on it looked like it was going to damage the watch case so I quit. I guess I may have to try again at some point.

And I’d love to see your advert if you find it, would be very interesting!

Thanks Phil

dodger1954 wrote:Hi Phil,

I don't know if you've found an answer to your question about this watch, as your last post looks like it was back in February, but, this is actually a Benrus, and the model is called the "Galaxy", the Benrus Galaxy, from about 1976. I've got the original advertisement for it somewhere on my computer, if you'd like to see it, and it says that this watch originally sold for $189.95 when new, which was a lot of money, waaaay back in the mid-70's!

Now, and as to opening the caseback, well, I've got about four or five of these watches in my collection, and whenever I've wanted to open one, I'd simply insert a large flathead screwdriver into that notch that's just below the battery hatch, and pry the lid off. As the edge of the caseback extends out over that notch, just enough to place the screwdriver there, I think that that might be the way that it was intended, to open one of these watches.

Ohh, but if you do decide to open it, be very careful when you go to press the caseback onto the watch case, making sure that you have a sufficiently large enough die on your watch press, so as not to put any undue pressure on the raised plastic red lens of the watch. If you have a really large, concave (sort of hollowed-out) die, that will go over/around the lens, without actually putting any pressure on the lens itself, I'd use that. I've gotten a couple of these watches before, that had cracked or split lenses, after someone had used a watch press die that was too small to fit over the raised red lens, and ended up breaking it..

Yes, certainly, I'll see if I can successfully add the photo of the advertisement, to this message. The ad was from around 1976, and it actually shows THREE different Benrus red LED models...the Benrus "Firestar", Benrus "Galaxy", and yet another one, simply called the "LED I".

Cheers,Charles :)

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Thank you, very interesting and I've saved a copy. You're right, it seems this watch cost a fair bit back in the day, which is logical I suppose as it was new tech. Using the google calc it looks like this yellow one at $150 was the equivalent of around $650 in today's money. But doing a tiny bit more digging and using a better comparison maybe, a new Omega Speedmaster or a Rolex Sub would both have been around $350. Just to annoy myself more, the exchange rate was around $2/£1, so I could have bought a new Speedy or a Sub for £175 each... I've probably got the sums a little out but I'm close enough to say zoiks!